Save Me
by EsTeLweNadia
Summary: Three-shot. DJ verse. Set when Kuma was captured, and AU from there. While fleeing with the wounded Ookami, Kuma was shot. Skillfully hiding his own injury, Kuma nursed Ookami to recovery, then left before Ookami-san woke up. Soon Ookami discovered that he needed to save Kuma once more.


**Title**: Save Me

**By**: EsTeLweNadia

**Summary**: Three-shot. DJ verse. Set when Kuma was captured, and AU from there. While fleeing with the wounded Ookami, Kuma was shot. Skillfully hiding his own injury, Kuma nursed Ookami to recovery, then left before Ookami woke up. Soon Ookami discovered that he needed to save Kuma once more.

**Genre**: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Angst

**Warnings**: Senpai and his mouth… But I'll try to tone it down.

**Disclaimer**: Characters afflicted are not mine, and will never be. Except in my dreams, maybe. ^^

**Author's Note**: Flame me if you want, but I really can't help tormenting our lovely Tetsuhiro, I mean, Kuma! It's not my fault! They're asking for it! Who asked them to be so freaking adorable? And there are so many situations I can poke and tear into! So much angst! So much pain! Oh, the galore! BUT worry not; I am not as sadist as I know I appeared to be… No matter how much I torment our favorite bishies, I always give them a happy ending. Well, what can I say? I am a sucker for happy endings! ^^

**Author's Note 2**: Any mistakes seen are mine, and mine alone. I am not perfect, and I did the best I could. Reviews are immensely appreciated, so please have them coming! Now what are you waiting for? Get on reading! ^^

* * *

**Chapter One: Darkness Sorrounding**

He was floating in the darkness…

_Numb_.

Thoughts ran, scattered, crashed and tangled…

Yet his heart remained empty.

He was lost in the darkness…

And alone.

So _alone_.

Then suddenly he was drowning; loneliness and despair rose like a tsunami wave, then began crashing down on him, and all around him.

Guilt, remorse and self-loathing reached their cold hands around his ankles and pulled him down under.

He was drowning, choking, suffocating…

_Dying_.

In the distance, there was a glimmer of light.

A flash of silver tail; swaying gently, beckoning him over.

_Ookami-san…_

He blinked, and began to struggle.

Desperately he reached both hands towards the tail.

And emerged into the light.

* * *

Kuma inhaled sharply.

Little by little, he felt awareness coming back to him.

_Ah…_

Slowly, hesitantly, he sat up. For awhile he didn't move; blinking sluggishly and tried to clear the fog in his head.

_Wah… looks like I'm still alive…_

He tried lifting up his hands so he could look at them. They moved gingerly, but they still moved.

_… and my body isn't numb anymore… Thank goodness…_

Only then he realized he was trapped within a cage.

Oddly enough, he was still too out of it to panic.

He wrapped his hands around the bars and glanced up to the rafters, gazing sadly at the bright, radiant moon that was hanging freely in the night sky.

Free, and here he was, trapped.

But his thoughts were floating to the moon.

_It's night already… I wonder where I am… This must be a human dwelling…_

He yanked and pulled at the bars as hard as he could. Failing that, he tried to bite the bars. All he got for his trouble were aching teeth and a sore jaw. No matter which way he did, the bars simply wouldn't give.

Exhausted, he sat back, pulling up his legs to wrap his hands around his knees.

He bowed his head, fighting back hot tears of frustration and fear.

_What will become of me? I never did anything bad to the humans… Can't they see that they have made a mistake? How can I make them understand?_

A light sigh of resignation.

_I know I can't… Come to think of it, I heard once that… humans eat bear meat…_

Shuddering at the thought, he buried his head in his arms.

_I'm scared… I never thought I would end up as a prey myself._

_…_

_Prey…_

_Back then Ookami-san kept pleading with me, begging me not to eat him…_

He raised his head a little, gazing morosely at the dust at his feet.

_He must have felt the same fear… but no. The heat and blood that flowed back then must have meant… that it was terrifying and painful for him than it is for me…_

He buried his head in his arms again, feeling the tears he tried so hard to suppress dripped heedlessly down his face.

For a moment all he could see was Ookami-san's handsome face, twisted with hurt, disbelief, betrayal and pain.

"_Are you telling me that you'd force yourself on someone you love?_"

Ookami-san had said it gently, softly, but to Kuma, it was like a knife that ripped viciously through his heart.

His tears kept falling faster.

_I'm sorry… I was so stupid… I just wish that I could see you once more, and apologize from the depths of my heart… but now I can't even do that anymore…_

Too engrossed in his grief Kuma almost missed the sound of something rattling the door.

He jerked upright with a startled gasp.

He watched on, paralyzed with horror as the shaking grew violent.

A clawed hand angrily pushed the door open, and Kuma heard a very familiar voice growling "It finally opened…!" before the owner appeared in his vision.

_Ookami-san…_

For a moment, Kuma stared at him, stunned.

Ookami-san fixed him a smoldering glare. "So this is where you are, you stupid bear!"

_Ookami-san… why are you…_

He must be dreaming. That's right. It was all an illusion, right? _But…_ Kuma grasped the bars of his cage and leaned in, so that he could take a closer look at the figure before him.

The figure, who was still ranting off as he approached the cage and immediately went for the lock.

"Geez, getting yourself caught by a bunch of humans… how clumsy can you get?!"

It was Ookami-san, alright. His heart soared with joy, even as his mind was still dazed. "Ookami-san… how did you get here?

"I followed your scent," came the irritated reply. "Thankfully it hadn't disappeared yet. Oh, and the humans made a lot of mess hauling your stupid ass over here, so that's why I could track you so easily!"

Ookami-san began fiddling with the lock, and Kuma could only stare at him.

"I'm getting you out of here. Wait for a bit. I'll have this open in no time."

Kuma swallowed audibly, working up the courage to ask the wolf the very question that had been plaguing his mind since Ookami-san's arrival.

"Ookami-san… why? Aren't you angry with me?"

For a long moment, Ookami-san didn't say anything.

"Of course I'm still mad as hell at you, even now," the wolf snapped.

Kuma flinched, feeling his heart tearing open once again. He averted his gaze in shame.

"But wolves have a strong sense of duty, you know… If I let someone I am indebted to fall into human hands, my sense of honor would never let me live it down!"

Stunned, Kuma could only whisper, "Ookami-san…"

Ookami-san pulled at the lock harder, biting it and shaking the bars at the same time in frustration. "Dammit! It's not coming off! What the hell is this made off anyway?!"

Too much time had been wasted on this. Sooner or later the humans would be alerted to the presence of an intruder within their premises.

"Ookami-san… it's hopeless, I think. That thing's really hard…"

"Idiot!" Ookami-san barked at him. "I almost got it. Don't you dare give up!"

Kuma felt humbled. He didn't deserve any of this. He didn't deserve any of the kindness Ookami-san had shown to him, despite the horrible deed that Kuma had brought upon the wolf.

"You have to leave me here, Ookami-san, before they'll find you, or you'll get caught, too."

Ookami-san stopped his attacks on the cage to stare at him in aghast.

Kuma couldn't bear to see those eyes. The very eyes of the one he loved most, and hurt deeply. He closed his eyes, feeling tears starting to leak out again. "Thank you, Ookami-san. I have never dreamt that you would come to help me… after I did such horrible things to you. Maybe there is really a god? Just a moment ago, I wished I could see you one last time before I died… this is all that I have ever wanted."

"Don't talk about dying!" Ookami-san snapped, fear evident in his voice. Kuma hated himself for it, for putting that fear in Ookami-san. "You are going to escape together with me!"

Kuma ignored the outburst. Instead he fixed Ookami-san a soft, remorseful look brimming with love towards the wolf. "I love you so much, Ookami-san, and still, I have treated you so cruelly. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for hurting you, Ookami-san…"

He really was. He deserved death for hurting the very person he loved most.

Warm hands gently cupped his cheeks, jolting him out of his misery.

"It's okay, already! I understand your feelings, alright?! As long as you don't repeat the same mistake again, it's okay! So please… don't give up…"

_Ookami-san…_

"See? Just a bit more, and it'll come loose…"

Ookami-san began to shake the lock harder; using all his strength, until they both heard something gave way.

"Ah… you're right…"

"See?!" Ookami-san threw a smug look at him, very clearly using a triumphant 'I-told-you-so' tone. "What did I tell you?!" He focused on the lock again, excited. "Hold on a bit more. I'll get this off in no time!"

Too engrossed in trying to force the lock open, they failed to hear running feet and panicking shouts.

Until they heard a sharp retort of a gunfire.

Ookami-san gasped, bolting upright, his face frozen in disbelief.

Kuma stared at him, wide-eyed.

Then Ookami-san crashed against the bars of his cage, light of awareness dimming in his eyes before the lids fell close.

He collapsed on the floor with a sickening thud.

Kuma found himself still unable to move, his limbs locked in horror and mind short-circuiting at the sudden turn of events.

_Ookami-san… shot… because of him…_

There was a splotch of dark red in the wolf's abdomen, and the red began to spill softly on the floor.

_Drip, drip, drip…_

Dimly he heard the ruckus somewhere outside.

"Hey! What was that gunshot?!"

"I just went to take a look at the bear… then I saw this beast in front of the cage…"

"Don't be so trigger-happy! What if you hit a person? Who is going to answer for that?!"

"I'm sorry… but if it escapes…"

The human voices stirred something unfamiliar within him, melting horror into_ rage_.

Terrible, terrible rage.

"What… what did you do…?"

_Ookami-san… shot… bleeding… unconscious…_

"Damn you!" Kuma bellowed, belting out a ferocious roar of absolute fury.

_What… just what have you done to Ookami-san?_

Kuma crashed against the bars with a strength he didn't know he had, cursing in a language he didn't know he knew. "Dammit, you fucking bars! Open up! Open the fuck up! Let me out!"

… feeling a rage, a desperation and fear he had never felt before in his life.

The lock snapped under his relentless assault, and Kuma threw his body at the door.

The door gave way.

Immediately he lunged for Ookami-san, desperately calling his name.

"Ookami-san! Ookami-san!"

Kuma didn't expect any reply. Despite the urgency of the situation, Kuma gathered the unconscious wolf gently in his arms, holding him tightly and lovingly in his embrace.

Something ominous and crimson caught his attention.

Blood. And a great pool of it.

And it was slowly increasing in size with every passing second.

Horror slammed into him full force.

"Oh no! The cage!"

"Don't provoke it! Get the net!"

_Those fucking humans… they shot Ookami-san!_ But he had no time to deal with them now. He had to get Ookami-san to safety and treat his wounds immediately before they turned fatal.

"Get out of my way!" He roared, barging his way past the idiotic two-legged creatures.

Barely a few minutes later, he was out of the hut and into the forest.

"The bear has escaped! Call the hunters, quick!"

Kuma knew he had to pick up pace.

He struggled against Ookami-san's dead weight, and still he pushed on. His mind was only focused on getting Ookami-san to safety, his heart was fervently praying that Ookami-san could still be safe.

Gunshots rang out from behind him; jolting him to move faster.

A bullet grazed across his cheek, scoring a deep line of red. Blood began to seep through.

Kuma ignored it and ran harder.

But Kuma couldn't ignore the steady drip of blood that tainted the forest floor as more time was consumed, as the movements became even rougher.

_Ookami-san, hold on! Please…_

_No matter how hard I tried to stop it, the blood won't stop flowing from Ookami-san's wound… I could feel the strength seeping from his body… his warmth… fading faster and faster…_

"No!"

Something slammed into his back so hard he staggered and nearly fell, but Kuma righted himself just in time and continued his run without breaking a stride, pointedly ignoring the white searing heat, and the agony that increased with every step he took.

_Onegai, Kami-sama! Wait, wait! Don't take him away! Not yet! Please don't take him away yet, Kami-sama!_

Kuma hugged Ookami-san closer to him, feeling tears once again running afresh down his cheeks. He ignored how it stung the wound, the salty tang that was caught on his tongue.

_Please… I'm begging you… _

- **To be Continued** -

* * *

I really _love _this particular chapter of the manga, Aru Hi, Mori No Naka, Vol 1, Chapter 4.

It really moved me, so much so I decided to put it into words and described the scene as best as I could.

Of course, with a little dash of my own additions here and there…

I hope you have enjoyed it so far!

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly welcomed and appreciated!

Good night, and see you soon! ^^

PS: The titles are derived from Avenged Sevenfold's songs of the same names. I am their fan, and it's the only thing that came up in my mind. Just so you know, I am really bad at coming up with titles. ^^


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